J. Exp. Zool. India Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 557-560, 2013 ISSN 0972-0030 NEW RECORD OF SYRPHID, CHRYSOTOXUM BAPHYRUM WALKER (DIPTERA: SYRPHIDAE) ON THE SUGARCANE ROOT APHID, TETRANEURA JAVENSIS (VAN DER GOOT) IN PENINSULAR INDIA R. R. Patil, Kumar Ghorpade, P. S. Tippannavar and M. K. Chandaragi Department of Agricultural Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad-580 005, India e-mail: [email protected] (Accepted 11 April 2013) ABSTRACT – Another new aphid prey for the syrphid, Chrysotoxum baphyrum Walker has been recorded on sugarcane root aphid, Tetraneura javensis (Van Der Goot) from northern Karnataka, peninsular India. This is the sixth aphid prey record for any species of syrphid genus Chrysotoxum and the very first from a tropical country for a separate species, baphyrum, other than those aphids given for Chrysotoxum arcuatum (L.), Chrysotoxum intermedium Walker and Chrysotoxum shirakii Matsumura from Scotland, Italy and Japan, respectively. In the present study, sugarcane root aphid, T. javensis is also being reported for the first time from Karnataka State. Key words : Syrphid aphid prey, Chrysotoxum baphyrum, sugarcane root aphid, India INTRODUCTION sugarcane plants revealed the presence of syrphid larvae. So far, no prey has been recorded for any species of The predator and prey were brought and reared in the the genus Chrysotoxum Meigen (more than 70 species) Laboratory at the Department of Entomology, University anywhere in the world where its species fly, i.e., in of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. The fly maggot fed the Holarctic, Afrotropical, or Oriental regions. Inouye on T. javensis aphids, within a week’s time pupation took (1958) listed Cinara todocola (Inouye) on Abies place and five days later adult female fly emerged. This sachalinensis (F. Schmidt) Mast. and Picea jezoensis was identified as Chrysotoxum baphyrum Walker, which (Sieb. et Zucc.) in Japan as aphid prey of Chrysotoxum is another new aphid prey record for the syrphid on shirakii Matsumura. Also Luciano et al (1989) recorded sugarcane root aphid, T. javensis from northern the aphid, Pemphigus bursarius (L.) on Cichorium Karnataka, peninsular India. Incidentally, root aphid, T. endivia L. in Italy as prey of Chrysotoxum intermedium javensis is also being reported on sugarcane for the first Meigen. Observations made so far have indicated that time from Karnataka State. larvae of these species of wasp-mimicking flies are ground RESULTS AND DISCUSSION dwellers near ant colonies and perhaps feed on root aphids Root Aphids and on ant brood. Rotheray et al (1996) gave a detailed The sugarcane root aphid, T. javensis is being reported account of known myrmecophilous Syrphini feeding on for the first time from Karnataka State (Plate 1). The root aphids and cited C. arcuatum larvae feeding on aphid genus, Tetraneura Hartig 1841 was erected in the Geoica sp. aphids infesting Arrhenatherum elatius (L.) Tribe Eriosomatini of the Family Aphididae (Hemiptera), with a Formica lemani Bondroit ant colony. They also composed of insects which have more or less developed found this syrphid feeding on Forda sp. aphids (without the habit of gall formation and possess wax glands, and ant colony nearby) on Dactylis glomerata L. in Scotland. the antennae of the alate forms are usually armed with MATERIALS AND METHODS annular sensoria. The type species is Tetraneura Recent field observations near Shirguppi village ulmifoliae Baker, 1920 [= Aphis ulmi Linnaeus, of Hartig] (Athani taluk, Belgaum District, Karnataka State, India) (Baker, 1920). Currently placed in the subfamily during March 2012 revealed the presence of an aphid, Pemphiginae (Agarwala and Ghosh, 1984) which has 19 Tetraneura javensis (Van der Goot) on sugarcane genera and 48 species in the Indian subregion, there are varieties viz., Co-86032 and Co-671. One foot length of nine Indian Tetraneura species. Raychaudhuri (1983) sugarcane root was infested with as many as 200 aphids. reported Sorghum [as Andropogon] vulgare (Jowar), The root aphid affected plants exhibited slow growth, Capillipedium sp., Eleusine coracana (Ragi or Finger stunting mosaic symptom and tip drying resulting in reduced Millet), Oryza sativa (Paddy), Panicum colonum, P. root vigour. Further, close observations on aphid infested javanicum, P. miliaceum (Common Millet), Setaria 558 R. R. Patil et al Plate 1 : Predatory syrphid maggot, Chrysotoxum baphyrum and Plate 2 : Adult syrphid fly, Chrysotoxum baphyrum. root aphids, Tetraneura javensis. italica (Italian Millet) and some indeterminate grasses as Nadu). This syrphid (larvae) was also recorded feeding other host plants of T. javensis. on aphids on ragi and sorghum roots at Coimbatore (Fletcher, 1916; Bhatia and Shaffi, 1933; Cherian, 1934). George (1929) recorded the T. javansis on sugarcane Rahman (1940) and Butani (1958) recorded it feeding on from Coimbatore. Nirmala and Ananthanarayana (1975) undetermined sugarcane aphids in India. recorded another species of root aphid, Forda orientalis George on sugarcane varieties viz., Co-419 and Co-A Aphid preys of the genus Chrysotoxum 71-1 from Coimbatore Another new aphid prey for the syrphid, C. Musthak Ali and Sharatchandra (1986) worked on baphyrum has been recorded on sugarcane root aphid, Forda orientalis (George) of root aphids which T. javensis (Plates 1 & 2) from northern Karnataka, necessarily required presence of ants as symbionts in peninsular India. The recorded aphid preys of order to establish their colonies. They opined that, these Chrysotoxum species are limited to three species aphids are confined to the root zone; their presence is mentioned above from Scotland, Italy and Japan. Coe rarely noticed until the plants show symptoms of wilting, (1953) mentioned that, the feeding habits of the larvae of excess tillering, stunted growth and early maturity. Chrysotoxum are apparently unknown. Beling (1882), who described larva and puparium of Chrysotoxum Musthak Ali and Sharatchandra (1985) reported bicinctum (Linnaeus), found the larva in a compost heap. another root aphid-feeding hover-fly, Paragus auritus Greene (1923) described the larva and puparium of Stuckenberg and stated that this syrphid predator is Chrysotoxum pubescens Loew, a North American always found associated with F. orientalis, both during species; he found the larva under a stone in a moist summer and kharif seasons. There is a potential to use situation, and from his descriptions and figures it appears P. auritus as a biological control agent. to confirm to be aphidiphagous type. Dusek and Laska Finally, Ghorpade et al (2011) gave notes on Paragus (1962) found larva of Chrysotoxum elegans Loew under species and reported that P. auritus larvae prey especially a stone in Czechoslovakia. Speight (1976) found puparium on root aphids of paddy, ragi, jowar, sweet potato and of Chrysotoxum festivum (Linnaeus) and larvae of cotton. Earlier, Thompson and Ghorpade (1992), in a Chrysotoxum fasciatum (Müller) in a Lasius ant nest in revision of Oriental Paragus species, had given Ireland. Dixon (1960) found larva of Chrysotoxum Tetraneura nigriabdominalis (Sasaki) and other verralli Collin in Lasius ant nest in Britain. Greene (1923) undetermined root aphids on sorghum, paddy, cotton, and found larva of C. pubescens under a stone in U.S.A. finger millet, as well as F. orientalis as prey of P. auritus. Larvae and puparia seem to be associated with ant nests Ghorpade (1981) listed T. nigriabdominalis as prey where they possibly feed on root aphids (Speight, 1976). of Paragus serratus (Fabricius) quoting Vadivelu et al. Ghorpade (1994) gave a key to nine Chrysotoxum (1976) who found them in the Coimbatore area (Tamil New record of syrphid 559 species found in the Indian subcontinent, including C. London, U.K. baphyrum, which was recorded from India (Himachal, Dixon T J (1960) Key to and descriptions of the third instar larvae of Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu), some species of Syrphidae (Diptera) occurring in Britain. Trans. Burma, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Again, in his brief summary Royal Entomol.l Soc. London 112, 345-379. of the prey of predacious Syrphidae (Ghorpade, 2007) he Dusek J and Laska P (1962) Beitrag zur Kenntnis einiger Syrphiden- larven (Diptera, Syrphidae). Acta Societatis Entomologicae did not mention any of Chrysotoxum, but placed this Cechosloveniae 59, 348-356. genus in a group with Doros Meigen, Xanthogramma Fletcher T B (1916) One hundred Notes on Indian Insects. Bulletin of Schiner, Dideoides Brunetti, Dasysyrphus Enderlein, and the Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa No. 59: v+39. Notosyrphus Vockeroth. George C J (1927) South Indian Aphididae. J. Proc. Asiat. Soc. Bengal. In their summary of Palaearctic Syrphidae, Thompson 23, 1-12. and Rotheray (1998) mentioned about the feeding of Ghorpade K (1994) Diagnostic keys to new and known genera and Chrysotoxum on ground-layer aphids with no specific species of Indian subcontinent Syrphini (Diptera: Syrphidae). details of any prey species of this syrphid genus. Colemania 3, 1-15. Ghorpade K (2007) The genus Agnisyrphus Ghorpadé (Diptera- The current record seems to be the very first for a Syrphidae), peculiar to the Oriental Region, with notes on tropical species of Chrysotoxum and adds to the only phylogeny, evohistory and panbiogeography. Colemania 14, 1- three other records, from Scotland, Italy and Japan, in 35. temperate areas. C. baphyrum is a widespread species Ghorpade K (2012) Notes on nomenclature, taxonomy and phylogeny of this genus in the Indian subcontinent